THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  ILLINOIS 

LIBRARY 


370 
116  . 

No.  26-34 


HSSSiSSSBS*' 


University  of  Winois  Ubrar^ 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


http://www.archive.org/details/dutiesofmenengag30monr 


"Educational  excursions  by  senior  high  students,"  Atlanta  High  School 
Journal,  2:5-6,  March  15,  1924. 

A  list  of  the  places  visited  by  senior  high-school  students  in  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and 
the  number  of  students  visiting  each  is  given. 

"Improving  high  school  commencements,"  American  Educational  Di- 
gest, 43:339-41,  366,  368,  April,  1924. 

A  summary  of  practices  and  suggestions  from  almost  twenty-five  hundred  edu- 
cators is  given,  with  quotations  from  a  number.  Data  are  included  as  to  kinds  of  pro- 
grams, the  length  of  exercises,  costs,  and  so  forth. 


[40] 


BULLETIN  NO.  30 


BUREAU  OF  EDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH 
COLLEGE  OF  EDUCATION 

THE  DUTIES  OF  MEN  ENGAGED  AS  PHYSICAL 

DIRECTORS  OR  ATHLETIC  COACHES 

IN  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

By 

Walter  S.  Monroe 
Director,  Bureau  of  Educational  Research 


THt 


PRICE  25   CENTS 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS,  URBANA 

1926 


<cduu^. 


PREFACE 

The  research  reported  in  this  bulletin  is  limited  to  the 
collection  and  summarization  of  certain  data  relative  to  men 
who  are  employed  as  physical  directors  or  athletic  coaches. 
Xo  attempt  has  been  made  to  solve  any  problem.  However, 
the  information  collected  will  be  useful  to  those  who  are 
planning  curricula  in  schools  or  departments '  of  athletic 
coaching.  When  using  any  of  the  information  presented  in 
,  the  following  pages,  one  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  facts 
relate  only  to  existing  conditions  and  should  avoid  the  error 
of  assuming  that  it  is  desirable  to  perpetuate  these  condi- 
tions. For  example,  it  was  found  that  golf  teams  are  coached 
by  only  2.5  percent  of  the  men  from  whom  information  was 
secured.  This  fact  does  not  justify  the  conclusion  that 
coaches  do  not  need  to  be  prepared  to  coach  a  golf  team. 

This  study  of  the  duties  of  physical  directors  and 
athletic  coaches  was  made  possible  through  the  cooperation  of 
a  number  of  principals  and  superintendents,  as  well  as  of  the 
men  actually  engaged  in  this  division  of  school  work.  The 
fact  that  slightly  more  than  50  percent  of  the  questionnaires 
were  returned  is  worthy  of  comment.  It  indicates  more  than 
a  passing  interest  in  the  inquiry.  The  Bureau  of  Educational 
Research  is  glad  to  acknowledge  its  indebtedness  to  all  who 
have  cooperated  in  the  investigation. 

Walter  S.  Monroe,  Director. 
March  29,  1926. 


THE  DUTIES  OF  MEN  ENGAGED  AS  PHYSICAL 

DIRECTORS  OR  ATHLETIC  COACHES 

IN  HIGH  SCHOOLS1 

Purposes  and  sources  of  information.  The  following  pages  present 
a  summary  of  certain  information  relative  to  the  duties  of  men  engaged 
as  physical  directors  or  athletic  coaches  in  high  schools.  The  ques- 
tionnaire used  in  collecting  the  information  is  reproduced  in  the  Appen- 
dix in  order  to  show  the  particular  items  of  information  asked  for  and 
the  form  in  which  the  answers  were  given.  Examination  of  the  ques- 
tionnaire will  show  that  an  effort  was  made  to  state  the  questions  so 
that  the  answers  would  require  relatively  little  writing  and  be  given  in 
a  form  that  would  facilitate  the  task  of  tabulating  them. 

On  October  30,  1925,  the  letter  reproduced  on  page  6  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  principal  of  the  high  school  in  every  other  city  appearing 
in  the  Educational  Directory  issued  by  the  Federal  Department  of 
Education  for  the  year  1924,  except  those  cities  having  a  population 
of  50,000  or  over  according  to  the  1920  Federal  census.  In  the  case  of 
these  cities  a  letter  was  addressed  to  the  superintendent  of  schools 
asking  that  he  forward  the  enclosed  copies  of  the  questionnaire  to  a 
representative  high  school  in  his  system  with  the  request  that  they  be 
filled  out  and  returned  to  the  Bureau  of  Educational  Research.  The 
letter  also  contained  the  following  statements: 

"If  additional  blanks  are  needed  in  order  to  make  a  complete  report 
for  this  school,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  send  them  upon  request." 

"In  the  case  of  cities  which  have  several  high  schools,  we  should 
like  to  secure  a  report  from  more  than  one  of  them.  If  it  meets  with 
your  approval,  will  you  kindly  give  us  the  names  of  the  high  schools 
other  than  the  one  to  which  you  transmit  the  enclosed  blanks.  We 
shall  then  communicate  directly  with  the  principals  of  those  schools." 

Requests  for  additional  copies  of  the  questionnaire  were  received 
from  several  cities.  A  total  of  approximately  2300  copies  were  dis- 
tributed, of  which  slightly  more  than  50  percent  were  returned.  Of 
those  returned  a  few  were  not  filled  out  because  the  school  had  no 
physical  director  nor  athletic  coach.    Others  were  incorrectly  filled  out 


'S^C-Stafey,  Associate  Professor  of  Physical  Education  and  Athletic  Coaching, 
suggested  this  investigation  to  the  writer  and  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the  ques- 
tionnaire used  in  collecting  the  data.  The  tabulation  of  the  data  was  under  the  imme- 
diate direction  of  J.  A.  Clark,  Assistant,  Bureau  of  Educational  Research. 

[5] 


and  several  were  received  too  late  to  be  included  in  our  tabulations, 
which  represent  1032  questionnaires  from  725  cities.  The  distribution 
of  the  sources  of  information  with  reference  to  size  of  city  and  geograph- 
ical location  is  shown  in  Table  I.  The  number  of  cities  in  each  state  is 
given  immediately  after  its  name.  It  will  be  noted  that  information 
was  secured  from  all  states  except  Wyoming.  The  geographical  distri- 
bution is,  however,  not  uniform;  nearly  half  of  the  questionnaires  being 
from  states  in  the  eastern  and  north  central  divisions.  The  large  num- 
ber of  questionnaires  from  cities  over  100,000  population  is  accounted 
for  by  the  fact  that  such  cities  have  several  high  schools  and  a  highly 
developed  plan  of  physical  education. 

October  30,    1925 
To  the  High-School  Principal: 

At  the  suggestion  of  a  number  of  persons  interested  in  physical  education,  the 
Bureau  of  Educational  Research  is  undertaking  an  analysis  of  the  activities  of  men 
engaged  as  physical  directors  or  as  athletic  coaches  in  high  schools.  Will  you  kindly 
hand  the  enclosed  questionnaire  to  the  proper  member  of  your  staff  with  the  request 
that  he  answer  the  questions  and  mail  the  blank  to  the  Bureau  of  Educational  Research. 

Although  the  information  sought  will  be  most  helpful  to  those  engaged  in  training 
physical  directors  and  athletic  coaches,  a  summary  of  the  replies  should  be  of  interest 
to  high-school  principals  and  to  those  engaged  in  physical  education  and  the  coaching 
of  athletic  teams.  A  report  of  the  analysis  will  be  published  as  a  bulletin  of  the  Bureau 
of  Educational  Research  and  a  copy  will  be  mailed  to  all  who  contribute  information. 

Please  note  that  the  enclosed  questionnaire  asks  for  information  from  men  only. 
An  analysis  of  the  activities  of  women  engaged  as  physical  directors  is  not  being  at- 
tempted. 

I  am  enclosing  only  one  copy  of  the  blank,  except  in  the  case  of  the  larger  cities. 
If  additional  blanks  are  needed  in  order  to  make  a  complete  report  for  your  school,  I 
shall  be  very  glad  to  send  them  upon  request. 

Assuring  you  of  our  appreciation  of  your  cooperation,  I  am 

Very  truly  yours, 

Walter  S.  Monroe,  Director. 

P.  S.   In  case  your  school  does  not  have  either  a  physical  director  for  men  or  an  athletic 
coach,  will  you  indicate  this  fact  on  the  blank  and  return  it. 

Accuracy  of  information  and  tabulations.  An  examination  of  the 
questionnaires  returned  indicated  that,  although  there  were  a  few  ap- 
parent absurdities,  in  general  they  had  been  filled  out  with  care.  Before 
the  tabulations  were  begun,  each  report  was  examined  and  obvious 
errors  corrected  or  eliminated  from  the  items  to  be  tabulated.  All  tabu- 
lations have  been  checked  and  it  is  reasonably  certain  that  relatively 
few  errors  were  introduced  into  this  phase  of  the  work.  However,  the 
reader  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  questions  were  such  that  the 
answers  are  general  in  certain  respects.  For  example,  Question  7  asks 
concerning  duties  in  connection  with  the  physical  education  plant.   The 

[6] 


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[7] 


TABLE    II.  TYPES    OF    INSTITUTIONS    EMPLOYING    THE    ATHLETIC 

COACHES    AND    PHYSICAL    DIRECTORS    REPLYING    TO    THE 

QUESTIONNAIRE 


Type  of  Institution 


Senior  high  school 

Senior  high  school  and  junior  high  school 

Senior  high  school,  junior  high  school,  and  elementary  school 

Junior  high  school 

Senior  high  school  and  elementary  school 

Junior  high  school,  elementary  school,  and  special  methods  for  handi- 
capped children 

Elementary  school 

Miscellaneous* 

Total  Questionnaires 


Number 

Percent 

678 

66 

135 

13 

77 

7.5 

77 

7.5 

26 

2.6 

8 

.8 

13 

1.3 

18 

1.8 

1032 


♦This  group  includes  those  who  reported  a  college  among  the  institutions  in  which  they   were 
working. 


four  types  of  duties  listed  are  very  general  and  for  this  reason  they  were 
probably  interpreted  differently  by  different  persons.  Likewise,  in  most 
of  the  other  questions  an  item  checked  may  not  always  represent  the 
same  condition. 

Types  of  institutions.  Although  the  information  concerning  men 
employed  as  physical  directors  or  athletic  coaches  was  secured  through 
the  high-school  principal,  except  in  the  case  of  the  larger  cities,  it  was 
realized  that  in  some  cases  a  man  might  have  duties  in  another  division 
of  the  school  system,  or  perhaps  might  devote  some  of  his  time  to  a 
junior  college  or  some  other  institution  above  the  high-school  level. 
Consequently  it  was  thought  desirable  to  ask  concerning  the  type  of 
institution  in  which  the  man  was  employed. 

Four  types  of  institutions  were  listed.  (See  page  20.)  In  many 
cases  two  or  more  were  checked.  Table  II  shows  the  distribution  of 
the  1032  men  according  to  the  type  of  institution  in  which  they  are 
employed.  Approximately  two-thirds  of  the  number  devote  their  entire 
time  to  duties  pertaining  to  a  senior  high  school  and  an  additional  13 
percent  are  employed  in  a  combined  junior  and  senior  high  school. 

In  interpreting  the  facts  given  in  Table  II  the  reader  should  keep 
in  mind  that  the  investigation  was  planned  as  a  study  of  the  duties  of 
physical  directors  or  athletic  coaches  in  high  schools  and  that  the  infor- 
mation was  secured  largely  through  high-school  principals.  Hence,  it 
is  very  unlikely  that  Table  II  indicates  the  provisions  for  physical  train- 
ing in  public  school  systems.  It  merely  states  the  institutional  connec- 
tions of  the  men  responding  to  the  questionnaire.  The  fact  that  only 
20  percent  of  these  men  had  duties  in  connection  with  an  elementary 


[81 


TABLE  III. 


TYPES  OF  POSITIONS  HELD  BY  ATHLETIC  COACHES  AND 
PHYSICAL  DIRECTORS 


Type  of  Position 


Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  and  coach 
of  athletic  teams _ 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  coach  of 
athletic  teams,  and  teacher  of  non-athletic 
courses 

Coach  of  athletic  teams  and  teacher  of  non-athletic 
courses 

Coach  of  athletic  teams 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  coach  of  ath- 
letic teams,  and  supervisor  of  physical  education 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men 

Coach  of  athletic  teams  and  supervisor  of  physical 
education 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  teacher  of 
physical  education  for  girls,  and  coach  of  ath- 
letic teams 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  teacher  of 
physical  education  for  girls,  coach  of  athletic 
teams,  and  supervisor  of  physical  education 

Supervisor  of  physical  education 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  coach  of 
athletic  teams,  supervisor  of  physical  education, 
and  teacher  of  non-athletic  courses 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  teacher  of 
physical  education  for  girls,  and  supervisor  of 
physical  education 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  and  super- 
visor of  physical  education 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  teacher  of 
physical  education  for  girls,  coach  of  athletic 
teams,  and  teacher  of  non-athletic  courses 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  teacher  of 
physical  education  for  girls,  coach  of  athletic 
teams,  supervisor  of  physical  education,  and 
teacher  of  non-athletic  courses 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  and  teacher 
of  non-athletic  courses 

Coach  of  athletic  teams,  supervisor  of  physical 
education,  and  teacher  of  non-athletic  courses.  .  . 

Supervisor  of  physical  education  and  teacher  of 
non-athletic  courses 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  men,  and  teacher 
of  physical  education  for  girls 

Teacher  of  physical  education  for  girls  and  super- 
visor of  physical  education 

Total  Questionnaires 


Size  of  City 


191 


10 


326 


II        III       IV        V 


45 


87 


148 


47 


29 


S3 


66 


282 


Total 


380 


130 


157 
65 


67 
54 


49 


1032 


Percent 


37 


16 
6.3 


6.5 
5.3 


3.3 


2.0 
2.0 


1.1 

.5 
.9 

.6 

.7 
.6 
.5 
.2 
.3 
.2 


school  or  a  college  is  not  at  all  indicative  of  the  relative  provisions  for 
physical  education  in  these  institutions  as  compared  with  high  schools. 
General  character  of  duties.  A  general  indication  of  the  duties  of 
the  1032  men  is  furnished  by  Table  III.  Teaching  physical  education 
classes  for  men  and  coaching  athletic  teams  are,  as  might  be  expected, 
the  outstanding  types  of  work.  A  relatively  small  number  (6.3  percent) 
devote  all  of  their  time  to  coaching  athletic  teams,  but  37  percent  indi- 
cated that  all  of  their  duties  related  to  teaching  physical  education 
classes  for  men  and  coachine:  athletic  teams.    An  analvsis  of  Table  III 


[9] 


TABLE  IV.  DESCRIPTION  OF  ATHLETIC  PLANT 


Description 


Basketball  floor 

Small  locker  room 

Large  locker  room 

Swimming  pool 

Showers 

Little  apparatus 

Sufficient  apparatus 

Athletic  field 

Playground 

Tennis  courts 

Number  of  Questionnaires 


Size  of  C 

ity 

Total 

I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

281 

85 

131 

163 

235 

895 

127 

45 

74 

86 

139 

471 

151 

39 

48 

58 

65 

361 

74 

28 

20 

14 

22 

158 

272 

83 

123 

154 

223 

855 

85 

30 

53 

94 

136 

398 

227 

60 

70 

64 

59 

480 

171 

61 

100 

129 

194 

655 

137 

40 

61 

81 

147 

466 

62 

34 

59 

79 

119 

353 

326 

87 

148 

189 

282 

1032 

Percent 


87 
46 
35 
IS 
84 
38 
47 
63 
45 
35 


shows  that  approximately  32  percent  of  the  men  do  some  teaching  of 
non-athletic  courses.  Thirteen  percent  of  them  combine  this  function 
with  teaching  physical  education  classes  for  men  or  coaching  athletic 
teams.  Only  7.5  percent  reported  teaching  physical  education  classes 
for  girls. 

In  interpreting  this  table  the  reader  should  bear  in  mind  that  the 
facts  given  merely  describe  present  conditions  and  hence  should  not 
be  interpreted  as  indicating  the  conditions  that  should  prevail.  Table  III 
does  not  show  that  the  teaching  of  non-athletic  courses  by  physical 
directors  or  athletic  coaches  is  undesirable;  neither  does  it  show  that  a 
combination  of  function  is  desirable.  It  merely  states  certain  facts  rela- 
tive to  existing  conditions. 

Table  IV2  summarizes  the  information  relative  to  the  physical  plant 
and  equipment.  It  shows  that  87  percent  of  the  men  reported  a  basket- 
ball floor.  None  of  the  other  items  of  the  table  were  checked  by  as  large 
a  percent.  Only  15  percent  indicated  a  swimming  pool,  but  35  percent 
stated  that  tennis  courts  were  included  in  their  plant.  It  appears  that 
the  available  apparatus  is  inadequate  in  many  high  schools. 

Table  V  supplements  the  information  given  in  Table  IV.  In  inter- 
preting Table  V  the  reader  should  bear  in  mind  that,  when  two  or  more 
men  are  employed  in  a  high  school,  the  supervision  of  the  plant  is 
probably  assigned  to  one.    Hence,  one  should  not  expect  that  all  men 


2The  fifth  and  sixth  items  of  the  third  question  (3e  and  3f)  relative  to  apparatus 
were  apparently  not  correctly  interpreted  by  some  of  the  correspondents.  In  the  second 
group  of  cities  the  sum  of  the  frequencies  of  two  items  is  greater  than  the  total  number 
of  questionnaires,  but  in  other  groups  the  sums  are  distinctly  less. 

In  some  cases  the  correspondent  stated  that  he  used  an  athletic  field,  playground 
or  other  facilities  which  were  not  owned  by  the  school.    Such  responses  were  eliminated. 


[10] 


TABLE   V.  FREQUENCY  OF   MENTION   OF   DUTIES   IN   CONNECTION 
WITH  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  PLANT 


Duties 


Supervise  sanitation  of  gymnasium. . . . 
Supervise  conditioning  of: 

Athletic  field 

Playground 

Tennis  courts 

Supervise  sanitation  of  swimming  pool 
Supervise  the  care  of  equipment 

Number  of  Questionnaires 


200 

125 
120 
104 
34 
230 

326 


Size  of  City 


III 


73 

70 

11 

121 

148 


IV 


99 

113 

98 

95 

7 

153 

189 


132 

192 
170 
167 
14 
231 

282 


Total 


568 

557 
498 
472 
86 
803 

1032 


Percent 


55 

54 
48 
46 

8.4 
78 


TABLE  VI.  SPORTS  IN  WHICH  TEAMS  ARE  COACHED 


Size  of  C 

ity 

Total 

Sports 

I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

Percent 

Football 

Basketball 

Track 

141 

150 

147 

118 

42 

32 

12 

14 

44 

11 

35 

1 

326 

59 
61 
48 
37 
11 
11 

6 

6 
18 

8 
13 

1 

87 

124 

121 

93 

80 

6 

15 

2 

6 

5 

4 

14 

148 

160 

165 

144 

110 

9 

25 

2 

12 

8 

8 

15 

1 

189 

233 
256 
211 
166 
•    7 

52 
3 

14 
9 

10 

12 

282 

717 

753 

643 

511 

75 

135 

25 

52 

84 

41 

89 

3 

1032 

69 

73 
63 

50 
7.3 

13 

Golf 

2.5 
5.1 
8.2 

4.0 

8.7 
.3 

TABLE  VII.  NUMBER  OF  SPORTS  PER  COACH 


Number  of  Sports  Coached 

Size  of  City 

Total 

I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

Percent 

1 

48 
79 
78 
39 
36 

7 

9 

29 

15 
16 

7 

17 
55 
34 
27 

4 
13 
82 
55 
27 

8 

24 

103 

97 

45 

74 
142 
347 
240 

151 

7.8 

2 

14.9 

3 

36.4 

4 

25.2 

15.8 

Total 

280 

76 

140 

181 

277 

'" 

[11] 


would  report  duties  under  this  head.  In  connection  with  the  supervision 
of  the  conditioning  of  athletic  field,  playground,  or  tennis  courts,  some 
of  the  correspondents  checked  item  7b,  "Supervise  conditioning  of 
athletic  field,  playground,  and  tennis  courts,"  while  others  checked  one 
or  two  of  the  sub-items.  The  latter  condition  made  it  desirable  to  tab- 
ulate the  three  sub-items  separately,  but  in  doing  so  it  was  necessary 
to  count  each  of  them  as  having  been  checked  when  the  whole  item  was 
checked.  Hence,  the  frequencies  for  "athletic  field,"  "playground"  and 
"tennis  courts"  are  probably  larger  than  they  should  be.  For  example, 
Table  V  states  that  46  percent  of  the  men  reported  supervising  the  con- 
ditioning of  tennis  courts,  while  Table  IV  states  that  only  35  percent 
of  the  men  reported  tennis  courts  as  a  part  of  their  plant.3 

Duties  of  Coaches.  Question  8  asked:  "In  what  sports  are  you 
now  coaching  a  team,  or  expecting  to  coach  a  team  during  the  present 
school  year,  to  represent  your  school  in  competition  with  teams  from 
other  schools?"  The  replies  are  summarized  in  Table  VI.  Basketball  is 
the  most  frequently  mentioned  sport.  However,  football,  track,  and  base- 
ball are  also  clearly  outstanding  sports.  The  other  sports  listed  in  Ques- 
tion 8  are  included  in  the  athletic  programs  of  relatively  few  high 
schools.4 

Table  VII  summarizes  the  number  of  sports  per  coach.  Over  one- 
third  coach  teams  in  three  sports  and  one-fourth  handle  four  sports. 
The  number  who  coach  teams  in  five  or  more  sports  is  slightly  more 
than  double  the  number  who  confine  their  coaching  to  a  single  sport. 

Table  VIII  compares  the  coaching  of  teams  with  the  provisions  for 
the  sport.  Coaching  a  football  team  was  reported  by  712  correspond- 
ents but  only  70  percent  of  them  indicated  that  the  school  provided  an 
athletic  field.  If  the  replies  are  assumed  to  be  valid,  this  means  that 
30  percent  of  the  coaches  must  take  their  teams  to  a  field  off  of  the  school 
property. 


3A  comparison  of  the  responses  to  Question  7  with  those  for  Questions  3-6  revealed 
some  apparent  absurdities.  For  example,  a  few  men  reported  "supervising  the  condi- 
tioning of  tennis  courts"  as  a  duty  but  stated  that  their  plant  did  not  include  a  tennis 
court.  In  some  of  these  cases  the  explanation  was  volunteered  that  they  used  courts 
in  a  city  park.  It  is  likely  that  most  or  possibly  all  of  the  apparent  errors  could  be 
explained  in  this  way. 

'Reference  to  Table  III  will  show  that  only  101  men  did  not  include  coaching  in 
describing  the  position  held.  For  this  reason  the  percents  in  the  last  column  of  Table  VI, 
which  were  calculated  by  using  1032  as  a  base,  do  not  represent  the  proportion  of 
coaches  who  coach  teams  in  the  sports  listed,  but  rather  the  proportion  of  the  total 
number  replying  to  the  questionnaire  who  coach  teams.  If  931  (1032  —  101)  had  been 
used  as  a  base,  the  percents  would  of  course  be  larger  and  have  a  somewhat  different 
meaning. 

[12] 


Activities  in  which  classes  are  taught.  Question  9  asked:  "In 
what  activities  are  you  now  teaching,  or  expecting  to  teach  during  the 
present  school  year,  regular  physical  education  classes?"  The  replies 
to  this  question  are  summarized  in  Table  IX.  In  interpreting  this  table, 
the  reader  should  bear  in  mind  the  distinction  between  "teaching  reg- 
ular physical  education  classes"  and  "coaching  a  team  to  represent  your 
school  in  competition  with  teams  from  other  schools." 

The  most  frequently  mentioned  activities  are  calisthenics  (free 
exercise),  group  games,  basketball,  relay  racing  (mass  type),  march- 
ing, track  and  field  and  volley  ball.  Each  of  these  seven  activities  was 
mentioned  by  more  than  50  percent  of  those  replying  to  the  question- 
naire. The  only  activities  not  reported  by  at  least  10  percent  of  the 
correspondents  are  golf  (3.6  percent),  winter  sports  (6.6  percent)  and 
folk  dancing  (7.2  percent). 

TABLE  VIII.    PROVISIONS  FOR  SPORTS 


Sports 

Number 

of 

Men 

Coaching 

Percent 
Reporting 
Necessary 
Facilities 

712 
638 
510 
748 
132 
84 

70 
67 

Basketball 

65 
89 

58 

55 

Non-instructional  duties.  Questions  10-15  inclusive  relate  to  cer- 
tain non-instructional  activities.  The  replies  are  summarized  in  Table  X. 
It  appears  that  most  coaches  are  responsible  for  keeping  the  members 
of  their  teams  in  good  physical  condition.  The  rendering  of  first  aid  at 
school  and  giving  physical  examinations  or  assisting  in  the  giving  of 
them  are  important  duties.  A  relatively  small  number  (28  percent) 
reported  that  they  attempted  to  improve  health  conditions  in  the  homes 
and  community.  Slightly  less  than  one-half  of  the  coaches  (49  percent) 
reported  that  they  carried  on  publicity  work  in  connection  with  adver- 
tising games,  health  campaigns,  and  so  forth.  Only  8.2  percent  reported 
making  "many  public  speeches."  In  connection  with  this  last  item  it 
should  be  noted  that  nearly  one-fourth  of  the  correspondents  failed  to 
respond  to  either  of  the  questions  concerning  public  speeches. 

It  appears  that  most  coaches  and  physical  directors  (77  percent) 
purchase  equipment  but  only  slightly  more  than  one-third  "manage  the 

[13] 


TABLE  IX.    ACTIVITIES  IN  WHICH  REGULAR  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION 
CLASSES  ARE  TAUGHT 


Size  of  C 

ity 

Total 

Activities 

I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

Percent 

98 

188 

193 

151 

110 

193 

136 

26 

42 

14 

44 

50 

231 

227 

147 

203 

165 

205 

94 

71 

20 

58 

44 

24 

220 

255 

152 
162 

326 

50 
68 
59 
42 
25 
56 
46 
14 
23 
14 
23 
23 
61 
65 
38 
56 
49 
55 
38 
16 
9 
32 
23 
11 
68 
73 

44 
46 

87 

73 
99 
79 
66 

40 
79 
57 
13 
25 

3 
26 
35 
92 
87 
54 
78 
63 
65 
47 
25 
15 
17 
17 

7 

82 

107 

49 

57 

148 

85 
119 

108 

80 

35 

106 

67 

22 

29 

2 

35 

44 

117 

108 

63 

83 

78 

65 

61 

26 

11 

17 

19 

13 

105 

133 

59 
69 

189 

109 
149 
128 
105 

43 

114 

76 

35 

55 

4 

39 

26 

113 

112 

50 

79 

76 

62 

51 

23 

19 

19 

16 

13 

103 

153 

53 
63 

282 

415 
623 
567 
444 
253 
548 
382 
110 
174 

37 
167 
178 
614 
599 
352 
499 
431 
452 
291 
161 

74 
143 
119 

68 
578 
721 

357 
397 

1032 

40 

Basketball 

60 

55 

43 

Soccer 

Volleyball 

25 
53 

37 

Hand  ball 

11 
17 

Golf 

3.6 
16 

17 

60 

58 

34 

Individual  athletics  (rope  climb,  high  jump,  etc.)-  . 

48 
42 

44 

28 

16 

7.2 

14 

12 

6.6 

56 

70 

Exercises  with  hand  apparatus  (wands,  dumbbells, 

35 

Corrective  gymnastics  for  individual  defectives  .... 

39 

finances  relative  to  athletics."  Since  70  percent  indicated  that  they 
make  out  their  own  program  of  physical  education  activities,  it  is  prob- 
ably true  that  men  in  charge  of  physical  education  have  almost  com- 
plete freedom  in  regard  to  the  planning  of  their  programs. 

Duties  in  connection  with  intra-mural  activities  were  indicated  by 
56  percent  but  it  appears  that  relatively  few  athletic  coaches  and  physi- 
cal directors  promote  or  direct  Boy  Scout  work  (9.5  percent).  One- 
fifth  reported  the  promotion  and  direction  of  general  recreational  work 
for  the  high-school  faculty  or  some  other  adult  group.  Working  in  a 
summer  camp  was  reported  by  22  percent. 

Table  XI  summarizes  the  replies  to  Question  16  "Check  the  con- 
dition (only  one)  which  you  consider  most  essential  to  retaining  your 
present  position.5 

a.  Personal  character  d.  Placating  superior  school  officers 

b.  Political  influence  e.  Teaching  ability 

c.  Winning  teams  f.   Popularity  in  community" 


6  A  few  of  the  correspondents  checked  two  or  more  items.    Their  replies  were  not 
included  in  the  tabulation. 

[14] 


TABLE  X.    NON-INSTRUCTIONAL  DUTIES  OF  ATHLETIC  COACHES  AND 
PHYSICAL  DIRECTORS 


Duties 


Size  of  C 

ty 

Total 

I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

205 

62 

100 

136 

197 

700 

20 

10 

20 

16 

18 

84 

122 

36 

43 

62 

71 

334 

113 

34 

74 

110 

172 

503 

187 

58 

136 

165 

242 

788 

232 

61 

94 

122 

164 

673 

181 

45 

62 

81 

100 

469 

114 

15 

16 

31 

34 

210 

151 

44 

52 

66 

58 

371 

168 

45 

41 

57 

67 

378 

101 

33 

34 

47 

64 

279 

91 

23 

64 

70 

144 

392 

227 

62 

94 

120 

193 

696 

219 

52 

79 

93 

138 

581 

21 

6 

16 

29 

26 

98 

65 

25 

28 

38 

51 

207 

194 

54 

109 

144 

229 

730 

154 

69 

125 

150 

223 

721 

161 

24 

17 

28 

43 

273 

70 

7 

19 

19 

30 

145 

219 

70 

124 

157 

242 

812 

93 

27 

33 

35 

66 

254 

86 

18 

27 

41 

52 

224 

326 

87 

148 

189 

282 

1032 

Percent 


Make  few  public  speeches 

Make  many  public  speeches 

Stage  exhibitions,  amateur  circuses,  etc 

Carry  on  any  publicity  work 

Purchase  equipment 

Render  first  aid  at  the  school 

Assist  in  physical  examination  of  boys 

Give  physical  examinations 

Prescribe     corrective     exercises     for     subnormal 

students 

Measure  the  physical  abilities  of  students 

Attempt  to  improve  health  conditions  in  the  homes 

and  community 

Manage  the  finances  relative  to  athletics 

Officiate  in  athletic  contests 

Promote  physical  activities  for  the  whole  student 

body  after  school.    (Intramural  athletics) 

Promote  and  direct  boyscout  work 

Promote  and  direct  general  recreational  work  for 

faculty  or  other  adult  groups 

Take  a  vital  part  in  the  social  activities  of  the 

school 

Make  out  program  of  physical  education  activities 
Follow   direction  of  a   superior  officer   (principal, 

director,  etc.) 

Follow  a  state  or  city  handbook 

Responsible  for  keeping  the  members  of  teams  in 

good  physical  condition 

Carry  on  experiments  of  a  scientific  nature 

Work  in  a  summer  camp 

Number  of  Questionnaires 


68 

8.2 
32 
49 
77 
65 
46 
20 

36 

37 

28 
38 
68 

56 
9.5 

20 

71 
70 

26 
14 

79 
25 
22 


TABLE  XL 


CONDITIONS   CONSIDERED   MOST  IMPORTANT  FOR 
RETAINING  PRESENT  POSITION 


Size  of  C 

ity 

Total 

Conditions 

i 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

Percent 

97 

9 

7 

150 

1 

35 

9 

1 

22 

5 

53 
2 

14 
2 

45 
3 

70 
1 

20 
3 

48 
6 

108 

2 

39 

5 

67 

17 

363 

5 

91 

18 

332 
32 

43 

.6 

11 

9  7 

Teaching  ability 

39.4 
3.8 

264 

72 

119 

148 

238 

841 

"Personal  character"  was  named  by  slightly  more  than  two-fifths  (43 
percent)  and  "teaching  ability"  by  a  slightly  smaller  proportion  (39 
percent).  Only  five  men  checked  "political  influence"  and  "winning 
teams"  was  indicated  by  only  91  (11  percent).  "Popularity  in  the 
community"  was  checked  by  only  32  but  17  of  these  are  in  the  fifth 
group  of  cities  (population  2500-4999),  which  suggests  that  this  is  a 
much  more  important  factor  in  small  communities. 


[15] 


TABLE  XII.    PROFESSIONAL  TRAINING  OF  ATHLETIC  COACHES  AND 

PHYSICAL  DIRECTORS  DISTRIBUTED  ACCORDING  TO 

SIZE  OF  CITY 


Size  of  City 

Total 

Percent 

1 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

10 

13 

103 

124 

31 

3 

7 

23 

35 

9 

15 
21 
31 

50 
3 

16 
18 

55 

48 

9 

37 
14 
84 
59 

4 

81 

73 

296 

316 

56 

9.9 

8.9 

1  or  more  semesters  less  than  a  total  of  100  weeks.  . 

36 

38 

6.9 

281 

77 

120 

146 

198 

822 

The  questionnaire  did  not  ask  for  this  item  of  information.    Hence,  the  number  of  graduates 
should  be  interpreted  to  mean  merely  the  number  who  volunteered  the  information. 

Training  of  athletic  coaches  and  physical  directors.  Tables  XII 
and  XIII  present  a  summary  of  the  information  secured  relative  to  the 
professional  training  for  teaching  physical  education.  Only  822  of  the 
correspondents  supplied  this  information  and  the  answers  received  indi- 
cated that  a  number  of  these  had  not  clearly  understood  the  request. 
The  question  was  intended  to  ask  concerning  the  amount  of  training 
which  might  be  considered  professional  in  the  special  field  of  physical 
education.  It  is  likely  that  those  reporting  more  than  one  hundred 
weeks  of  training  included  the  total  time  spent  in  college.  Although 
the  question  was  not  asked,  several  indicated  that  they  had  graduated 
from  the  institution  attended.  The  reader  should  bear  this  in  mind  and 
not  conclude  that  only  56  percent  of  the  correspondents  were  college 
graduates.  It  is  likely  that  many  of  those  reporting  "100  weeks  or 
more''  are  college  graduates. 


[16] 


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APPENDIX* 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

COLLEGE  OF  EDUCATION 

URBANA 


BUREAU  OF  EDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH 
OFFICE  OF  DIRECTOR 


A  Questionnaire  to  Determine  the  Activities  of  Men   Engaged  as 
Physical  Directors  or  as  Athletic  Coaches  in  High  Schools1 

This  questionnaire,  which  is  transmitted  to  you  through  the  principal 
of  your  high  school,  is  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  particular  types 
of  activities  in  which  directors  of  physical  education  and  athletic  coaches 
engage.  It  is  hoped  that  all  directors  and  coaches  who  receive  a  copy  of 
this  questionnaire  will  supply  the  information  called  for. 

The  merits  of  the  analysis  will  depend  largely  upon  securing  accurate 
information.  You  are  therefore  urged  to  read  each  of  the  questions  care- 
fully. These  have  been  constructed  so  that  very  little  writing  in  answering 
them  will  be  required. 

A  report  of  the  analysis  will  be  published  as  a  bulletin  of  the  Bureau 
of  Educational  Research  and  a  copy  will  be  mailed  to  all  who  contribute 
information.  The  date  of  publication  will  be  determined  largely  by  the 
promptness  with  which  you  reply  to  this  questionnaire. 

When  the  questions  on  the  following  pages  have  been  answered,  re- 
turn this  blank  to  the  Bureau  of  Educational  Research,  University  of 
Illinois,  Urbana,  Illinois.  A  stamped  envelope  is  enclosed  for  your  con- 
venience. 


1This   questionnaire   was  printed   as   a   4   page   folder   8V2   x    ''• 

[19] 


Name Your  Title 

School City State 

Have  you  had  professional  training  for  teaching  physical  education? 

If  so.  in  what  institutions:  How  many  weeks? 


1.  In  what  type  or  types  of  schools  are  you  now  teaching?    (Answer  this  question  by 

checking  the  appropriate  statement  or  statements.) 

a.  Junior  high  school  or  upper  grades. 

b.  Senior  high  school. 

c.  College,  normal  school  or  university. 

d.  Elementary  school  (Grades  I  to  VI  or  V  to  VIII). 

2.  \\  hat  is  the  general  character  of  your  position?    (Answer  this  question  by  checking 

the  appropriate  statement  or  statements.) 

a.  Teacher  or  director  of  physical  education  for  men. 

b.  Teacher  or  director  of  physical  education  for  girls. 

c.  Coach  of  athletic  teams. 

d.  Supervisor  of  physical  education  in  a  school  system. 

e.  Teacher  of  non-athletic  courses,  such  as  history,  mathematics,  shop  work,  etc. 

3.  Do  you  have  a  gymnasium?    If  so,  check  in  the  following  list  the  terms  which  best 

describe  your  gymnasium  and  its  equipment. 

a.  Basketball  floor.     (895)2 

b.  Locker  room,    (small.  471;  large.  361) 

c.  Swimming  pool.    (158) 

d.  Showers.    (855) 

e.  Little  apparatus.    (398) 

f.  Sufficient  apparatus  for  needs  of  classes.  (480) 

4.  Do  you  have  an  athletic  field  as  a  part  of  your  plant?    (Yes,  655;  No.  319) 

5.  Do  you  have  a  playground  as  a  part  of  your  plant?    (Yes,  466;  No,  442) 

6.  Do  you  have  tennis  courts?    (Yes,  353;  No,  585) 

7.  What  are  your  duties  in  connection  with  your  plant? 

a.  Supervise  sanitation  of  gymnasium.    (568) 

b.  Supervise  conditioning  of  athletic  field   (1)    (557),  playground   (2)    (498) 

and  tennis  courts.    (3)     (472) 

c.  Supervise  sanitation  of  swimming  pool.    (86) 

d.  Supervise  the  care  of  equipment.    (803) 


2The  numbers   in   parentheses   represent   the  responses    to    the    several    questions. 

[20] 


8.  In  what  sports  are  you  now  coaching  a  team,  or  expecting  to  coach  a  team  during  the 

present  school  year,  to  represent  your  school  in  competition  with  teams  from 
other  schools?  Note  that  the  question  calls  for  naming  the  sports  in  which  you 
are  now  coaching  or  will  coach  a  team  during  the  present  year.  Do  not  name  the 
sports  in  which  you  can  coach  teams. 

a.  Football.    (717) 

b.  Basketball.    (753) 

c.  Track.    (643) 

d.  Baseball.    (511) 

e.  Soccer.    (75) 

f.  Tennis.    (135) 

g.  Golf.    (25) 

h.  Wrestling.     (52) 
i.   Swimming.     (84) 
j.   Boxing.    (41) 
k.  Cross  Country.    (89) 
1.    LaCrosse.    (3) 

m 

n r 

o 

9.  In  what  activities  are  you  now  teaching,  or  expecting  to  teach  during  the  present 

school  year,  regular  physical  education  classes? 

a.  Football.     (415) 

b.  Basketball.    (623) 

c.  Track  and  field.    (567) 

d.  Baseball.    (444) 

e.  Soccer.    (253) 

f.  Volleyball.    (548) 

g.  Playground  ball.     (382) 
h.  Hand  ball.    (110) 

i.  Tennis.    (174) 

j.  Golf.    (37) 

k.  Boxing.    (167) 

1.  Wrestling.     (178) 

m.  Group  games.    (614) 

n.  Relay  racing  (mass  type).    (599) 

o.  Combative  contests   (hand-wrestle,  etc.).    (352) 

p.  Individual  athletics   (rope  climb,  high  jump,  etc.).    (499) 

q.  Tumbling  stunts.     (431) 

r.  Apparatus  stunts.    (452) 

s.  Pyramids.    (291) 

t.  Gymnastic   dancing.     (161) 

u.  Folk  dancing.    (74) 

v.  Swimming.    (143) 

w.  Life  saving.    (119) 

x.  Winter  sports    (skating,   ice  hockey,   etc.).     (68) 

y.  Marching.     (578) 

z.  Calisthenics    (free  exercise).    (721) 

aa.  Exercises  with  hand  apparatus    (wands,  dumbbells,  etc.).     (357) 

bb.  Corrective  gymnastics  for  individual  defectives.     (397) 


[21] 


t 


